Flock plus Carnival equals Catastrophe!
by TMI
Summary: What happens when you set the Flock loose in a County Fair? Nothing you'd ever imagine. Some people have innocent fun at fairs, but obviously it can't be that simple for our favorite bird kids. Fun, Humor, and a kinda dark twist because I'm weird... hehe
1. Why do these things always happen to me?

**So I figured that now that Come Back is finished, I feel kinda sad that I don't have anything to write and update. Therefore, I'm typing **_**this **_**up right now! A completely new story! See, I was at my town's festival with my friends and we saw this ride with these tiny enclosed cages that spin around and around and I was like, "OMG Max would be SOOO claustrophobic in those! OMG I SHOULD WRITE A FANFIC ABOUT THAT! I'M GOING TO! RIGHT NOW! YAY!**

**And my friends were like, ?**

**Of course, they know me, and how I'm obsessed with the Flock and writing. So they weren't that surprised. Anyway…**

**Here it is!**

**This Disclaimer shall serve for the entire story, cause I know I'm going to forget it. **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Maximum Ride. Or her problems.**

**Max's POV**

Hello all! Right now, yours truly is stuck in line at the County Fair* ticket booth! Did I want to go to a carnival? No. Was I happy about being here? No. Then why, you might ask, _am I here?_

The answer is simple. Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel saw an ad for it in the newspaper, and used the Bambi Eyes trick to persuade me to go. Did Fang attempt to help me out of this predicament? No, Mr. Silent just looked on calmly at our little display, them begging, me shouting at them to stop and covering my eyes. Iggy listened and started laughing, causing him to fall out of his chair and land on Total.

Good times, good times.

Can you sense the heavy sarcasm in that statement?

Now, back to harsh reality.

"Max, can we go on the Whirl-a-gig?"

"No that ride is lame. Let's go on the swings!"

"No, the Gravitron!"

"Max, what's a funnel cake?"

I quickly attempted to answer my Flock's rapid fire questions. "Angel, Gazzy, you can go on all the rides if you want to. Gaz, you don't have to go on the Whirl-a-gig. Iggy, if you're not careful, I'll stick you in the Gravitron and leave you there. Nudge, a funnel cake is a delicious puffed pastry coated in syrups and powdered sugar that clogs your arteries and makes you fat."

Nudge furrowed her brow, Gazzy and Angel whooped for joy, and Iggy looked alarmed at my threats. Fang was just, Fang. Standing in the shadows, dressed all in black, his hair falling in a dark wave over his hot, alluring eyes…

Eew! Max! Snap out of it! I shook my head and stepped forward as the line moved closer to the ticket booth. Once we (finally) got to the front of the line, I started talking to the ticket guy. When he noticed it wasn't a tired mother toting children around, but a teenage girl, he straightened up and smoothed back his sandy hair, like that would make him attractive or something.

"And what can I do for a beautiful girl like you?" he practically purred. Nasty much? Instantly, Fang melted out of the shadows and moved to stand behind me. I felt his breath on my hair as he placed a hand on my shoulder and glared silently at the guy. He cowered back inside his booth at the force of Fang's stare. I giggled inwardly. Fang had that effect on most people. The guy gulped, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"I'd like tickets for six for every ride," I told the dude coolly, even though my heart was leaping at Fang's touch on my shoulder. The guy nodded and started counting tickets on a roll while I looked at the prices. "Hey Nudge, what's six times three times twenty?" Yes, me, a fifteen year old, was asking Nudge, a twelve year old, for help with math. But I have a good reason! Nudge was the only one of the Flock who'd gotten a lot of schooling. We all went for a month or two when we stayed with that traitor Anne, but Nudge alone had continued school for a bit after that.

"Umm, let me think…" Nudge concentrated for a moment, then smiled. "Three hundred sixty."

I pulled that much money out of the messenger bag I was carrying. The ticket dude shoved an entire roll of tickets out the hole in the plexiglass wall separating us. I pushed the money in towards him, and he snatched it, his eyes darting nervously from the cash to me to Fang, still standing menacingly behind me. Insert inward giggle here.

"Thanks dude," I told him, stuffing the tickets in my bag and turning to go. "Angel, Nudge, Gazzy and Iggy, stop staring at that hat and get over here! We have a carnival to explore!" They were all gazing a random lady's hat that was festooned with feathers and flowers. Dang, it was interesting! However interesting it was though, they snapped out of their trances when I said, 'Carnival.'

"Huddle! I ordered. The Flock obliged, forming a circle. "The game plan is this. I give you guys tickets and money to use on anything that floats your boat. Just don't get tattoos, piercings, weaponry or anything explosive." Gazzy and Iggy sighed and wilted a bit at the no weapons/explosives rule. "We meet at the gates at 4:30. Gazzy, stay with Ig. Angel, you have to stay with Nudge. People might get suspicious if a lone seven year old is roaming the fair. Understood everyone?" Everybody nodded, and we split up. Time for a little 'fun.'

**Giggle yay fun time! The * was to say that I'm not going to reveal what County Fair they are at, in what county. It is anonymous, to protect the Flocks safety. I have to go sleep now because for the past three days I've gone to bed (bed, not sleep) at midnight and I actually want to get some rest.**

**Angel: S'truth. She hasn't gotten a lot of sleep for days, which makes her cranky.**

**Angel! Stop typing about me!**

**Angel: The only way to calm her down is to give her cookies. Here TMI! *Gives tray of cookies***

**OOH SNICKERDOODLES! *Eats cookies***

**Angel: See? Anyway, TMI is busy eating her snickerdoodles, so I'll just write her little signature thingymacdoodle with the squiggles. Bye!**

**~TMI~**


	2. Angel wants cotton candy!

**Hi-zas! I'm back! And with Angel, Gaz, and Total! And our special guest for a few moments today, FANG!**

***Fang appears*** **Fang: What the- Hey Ange! Gazzy! Total! Max has been worried about you guys? Where are we?**

**Gaz: A writer from Fanfiction captured us for inspiration and fun. I like her. Her older brother makes good banana bread.**

**Angel: Yeah! It's really good, and it has chocolate chips!**

**Fang: Yeah, so why am I here? Do I get banana bread?**

**Uh no Fang, you are here just to witness my declaration that after I put up my next brain-wave, I'm dedicating an entire oneshot just to embarrassing you!**

**Fang: Oh jeez, I think that's what Angel meant when she said I'd die first in the sixth book.**

**Probably. She was, after all, here when I thought of it. So was another of my BFFs! We were cleaning my room. And watching YouTube. I love parodies!**

**Fang: Yeah, thanks for telling me about my imminent embarrassment, but can I go now?**

**Sure. Bye Fangles! *Fang disappears* Okay, on with the story!**

**Angel's POV**

Nudge and I were walking around, looking for a funnel cake stand. I wanted to play some of the cool games set up around us. I was hoping to get another stuffed animal to be company for Celeste, since I didn't have much time for her anymore. Or maybe I could get a goldfish or something. But, instead of winning cute stuff, Nudge was dragging me around with her, obsessed with the mysterious funnel cakes. I thought about what Max had said. If Max said a seven year old going around by herself at a fair would attract nosy and possibly dangerous people, it was true. Max was always right. I smiled happily, skipping after Nudge. Random people I passed by oohed and ahhed and the cute little girl bouncing along after her chaperone. I could hear it in their thoughts.

_Oh she is so adorable! I love her hair!_

_Oh look at that little angel!_

_I love her clothes!_

I smiled, looking down at my clothes. I liked them too! I was wearing a jean skirt with white leggings and a pink hoodie over a brown t-shirt with a dog that looked like Total on it. Without the wings, of course. When I caught up to Nudge, she was in a frenzy, searching crazily around for the funnel cakes. Then a thought occurred to me. I could lead Nudge to a funnel cake booth, and leave her there to play games! Then we'd both be happy! And if anyone asked me where my guardians were, I could just mindwipe them and have them buy me cotton candy! I love cotton candy, especially when they mix the pink kind and the blue kind and make the purple kind! Then it's so pretty, and soft, and sticky, and yummy and- I suddenly wanted some very badly.

"Hey Nudge! There's the funnel cake stand!" I pointed to a neon sign above a pink booth that screamed, "FUNNEL CAKES! HERE!" A long line of people wound their way through the fair and came to an end at the booth. Nudge rushed through the crowd towards the stand, practically drooling. All her thoughts read was, "." I giggled at her one track thought and skipped off to play some games. She'd never notice, what with being obsessed with obtaining a funnel cake. I'm a genius! Maybe I _should _become leader of the Flock…

Nah, that would be kinda boring. I just want some cotton candy and game playing time!

"Excuse me sir," I stopped a wealthy looking man in his tracks, stepping in front and using my charms. I tugged a curl and looked at him until he met my eyes. "I would like some cotton candy. Buy me some please." The man looked confused for a second, but then walked over to a booth and paid for a jumbo bag of purple cotton candy. I took it gently from his hands and said thank you to him politely, like Max taught me too. As I danced off to play games, I took a bite of the spun sugar. Mmmm, so good… I love cotton candy!

**Angel: I do love cotton candy.**

**Yeah, I figured that. You like banana bread too, I gather, from the disappearance of the entire loaf.**

**Gaz: That was you, Total, your Greek friend, and your brother!**

**What's that on your mouth? Chocolate? Like the chocolate chips in the banana bread? **

**Gaz: Uhhh, *runs off***

**I have found the culprit of the Mystery of the Disappearing Banana Bread. Hey, I should write a fanfic about that too!**

**Angel: First write the embarrassing one about Fang!**

**Oh, I'll do that at the pool tomorrow.**

**Angel: YAY!**

**Anyway, bye peeps! Gaz, if you come back I'll let you type my signature thingymacdoodle, as Angel calls it.**

**Gazzy: YAY! *runs back and shoves me away from keyboard***

**~TMI~**

**THE GASMAN RULES!**

**Gazzy!**


	3. Gazzy's Carnival Experience

**Hi! I'm very sorry I haven't been updating for awhile, but I can explain! I was completely obsessed with reading this one fic, called The Diary of a Lovesick Bird Kid, by Phoenix Fanatic. It is so freaking good! Anyway, I have been reading instead of typing, so I am sorry! Anyway, here's the story!**

**Gazzy's POV**

Oh man, this was gonna rock! Ig and I wove through the crowds, searching for violent, crazy, or possibly explosive stuff to do. That's when I spotted the booth. A big, buff, college football type guy was cradling a gun (score!) and shooting at balloons taped to the back wall of a booth. To my disappointment, the rifle appeared to only shoot popcorn kernels. On the plus side, there seemed to be an intense amount of skill required to own at this game. I loved it already! And then it got better. I know, it seems difficult that a game like this could get any better, but then, I saw it. The dude shooting finally managed to pop a balloon, and the girl behind the counter handed him a huge stuffed octopus. And it was purple! A purple octopus!

Honestly!

I needed it.

I grabbed Iggy's arm and pulled him over to the booth. The girl behind the counter stopped staring dreamily after the lucky guy with the octopus, and started glaring at me. "Hey kid, you either need to be fourteen years old, or have an adult eighteen or over chaperoning you in order to play this game," she practically snarled. I opened my eyes widely and innocently, like Angel taught me to.

"What? My big brother Iggy is here to play with me! He told me I could play this!" I gestured at Iggy, towering over me with his hair over his eyes. Not that that little fact mattered. He can't see anyway. The girl glanced at Iggy, and her glare melted into a lovesick smile. Yuck.

"Oh, hello there," she whispered, gazing at him. I sniggered audibly at her obvious affection for anyone male who came her way. When the girl realized Iggy wasn't looking at her, she huffed. "I don't bite, why won't you look at me? I'm pretty, damn it!" Whoa, anger management problems much?

"I'm sure you are, doll, but I wouldn't know," Iggy replied calmly, brushing his hair out of his pale blue eyes. "I'm blind."

"Oh." The girl looked deflated. I was suddenly impatient with her for flirting -ew- or even trying to -double ew- with Iggy, and totally ignoring me. I was about to pay her to let me shoot popcorn kernels at balloons! But did she care? No.

"Look, my brother isn't single in the first place, so stop attempting to-" I made a face.

"-flirt- with him. It's disgusting. I want some shooting time here!" The girl glared at me again, but relented and handed me a gun. I sighed happily, and held the rifle correctly in my hands. I'd dealt with this type of gun since I was six! It was a little too big for my nine-year-old fingers, but I'd deal. Aiming carefully, I shot six times, rapid fire, at the multicolored balloons taped to the wall. With each kernel, I popped a balloon. The counter girl gasped in surprise, and so did three people behind me. I spun, automatically ready to fight, just like Max taught me to. Iggy straightened up slightly from his position leaning against the booth, and I could tell he was discreetly preparing himself. However, my audience wasn't Eraser-ish, FlyBoy-ish, or M-Geek-ish. This group consisted of three girls with long shiny blonde hair and white tank tops. They all wore short shorts in different colors. One had blue shorts, another had green shorts, and the last girl sported violet ones. They all oohed in appreciation of my skillage.

"Wow! You're so cool!"

"OMG, can I feel your arm?"

"How did you get so good at that?"

I smiled at them, using the single dimple in my left cheek to my advantage, like Nudge coached me. Two swooned dramatically, but the girl in violet shorts looked unimpressed. She seemed merely curious that I was so good at the game. "Practice, girls, practice." I said smoothly, not revealing any of my past experience with guns. They wouldn't believe me if I told them about the time I swooped down and stole a group of Erasers' weaponry anyway. "I'm assuming you have names?"

"Loa," the girl in green shorts said excitedly.

"Nari," reported the girl in blue shorts, flipping her hair.

"Rhonda, and I assume you too have a name?" questioned the girl in violet shorts.

"Zephyr. That's my name, don't wear it out. I lied immediately. Of all my aliases, that was my second favorite. My all time favorite was still Captain Teror…

"Interesting. Is there a reason for that?" Rhonda queried further. I frowned suddenly. No one pries into the the Gasman's life without permission!

"I'm sorry, I have balloons to shoot," I said shortly, turning around and seemingly focusing on my flawless shots. I was actually listening to their conversation.

"Rhonda, why did you do that?" Loa hissed fiercely at her friend.

"I was curious. Zephyr is a strange name," Rhonda protested. I smiled tightly. She had no idea.

"So is Nari, but he didn't say a thing about that. Cute and polite, just how I like them…" Nari whispered dreamily. Iggy grinned at me.

"I'm sorry, jeez. How was I supposed to know he would freak out like that?"

"Try to talk to him. I want to continue our conversation," Nari ordered, pushing Rhonda forward. Iggy just stood there and kept smirking about their conversation about me. I could also tell he was listening for anything important in the crowds around us. Like attacks. Or churros.

"Zephyr," Rhonda started sweetly. I jumped slightly, because I hadn't realized she was standing there. That just made me angrier. I stared fiercely at the row of balloons, popping a line of them with steady plugs of the kernel shooter. "Zephyr, please listen. I know we just met, and I know I tried to pry, but I'm just nosy that way." I tried to keep a straight face, but one side of my mouth quirked up. She reminded me of Angel and Nudge combined. Rhonda noticed my slight smile and apparently took this as encouragement to continue. "I'm sorry, so please talk to my friends, because they think you're cute." Muffled gasps came from the approximate area of her friends. I guess that that comment wasn't part of the planned conversation. "Don't make me use my big weapons," she warned when I didn't give any reaction. A flow of perverted images appeared in my mind. Ugh! Stupid Iggy and his gross influences! Iggy's smile widened at this point, and I could tell he was thinking along the same lines as me. "I warned you," she said before she took my head in her hands and forced it away from the sight of the gun. Quickly, she smashed her face into mine. I just stood there, dumbfounded. Rhonda pulled away after a few seconds, her cheeks flushing prettily. Did I just say prettily? Wha… I just stood there, staring at her in wonder. Rhonda pulled a marker out of her pocket and scribbled something quickly on the back of my hand. A phone number. "Call me," she whispered in my ear before her friends pulled her away. "If I'm still alive!" Rhonda added, before she melted into the crowd. I turned to Iggy.

"Is this normally what happens at fairs?" I asked him dazedly. He shrugged.

"How would I know? Hey, how many balloons did you murder, Gaz? Around fifty?" I confirmed this fact, dropping the gun on the counter. The counter girl lifted from her shelf a big purple elephant and snake. I smiled, cause they reminded me of Rhonda, with her violet shorts. Iggy touched the elephant's velvety ear, and murmured, "Violet?" I laughed a little. "Let me guess, the girl was wearing purple clothes?" he teased.

"Violet short shorts," I confirmed dreamily.

"Go give her the elephant. You won't be able to carry both on the run, anyway, and it'd be a nice little keepsake to remind her of you," he suggested.

"Thanks Ig, that's a great idea! Stay here, I'll be right back!" I yelled over my shoulder, running into the crowd.

"Don't have much of a choice, do I?" he retorted. I laughed and started looking through the crowd for a flash of purple. Pink, blue, black -hey there's Fang!- green…

There!

Rhonda and her friends stood at the bottom of one of those things where you hit the bottom with a hammer, and a little object flies up a rod. If the object hits the ball at the top, you get a prize. Loa hefted the hammer first, and swung it down on the pad. It went up about two feet off the ground. She pouted playfully and went off to the side to wait for Nari and Rhonda to finish. Nari's swing only made the object go up three feet, and she pretended to cry before going and joining Loa. Rhonda lifted the hammer easily, and much more gracefully than her friends, and I could see her arm muscles bulging with effort from ten feet away. Man, this girl was strong. Rhonda slammed the hammer on the pad, and the thing rocketed up fifteen feet and hit the bell. She was rewarded with a pair of neon violet sunglasses, a black lanyard necklace, and a fuchsia teddy bear. She smiled, and her friends jumped up and down, squealing. Quickly, before she walked over to her friends, I slid up in the shadows beside her and said, "Hey," softly. Rhonda looked startled for a second, but then saw it was not a random weirdo, but wonderful me.

"Hi Zephyr." She smiled, blushing a bit.

"Congrats for the big win," I said quickly, aware that her friends were rushing up. I handed her the elephant. "Here."

Rhonda was stunned, I could tell. I turned to go, not particularly wanting to see Loa and Nari try to flirt with me anymore. It made me nauseous. I'd gone about six steps, which for us bird kids is quite a bit, when she yelled, "Wait, Zephyr!" I stopped and turned back towards her. "Catch!" Rhonda threw something at me. I instinctively caught it. It was the black lanyard she'd won. "Congrats for the big win." She grinned at me. I smiled back, waved, and ran for my life back to Iggy and relative safety.

"And then she gave me the lanyard as a prize for the 'big win'." I finished telling Fang, Max and Iggy about my encounter with Rhonda, fingering my already cherished necklace. "I assume she meant the balloon shooting?" I asked the older Flock members. They were supposed to know these things, they were more experienced in this stuff than me!

"Maybe," Fang and Iggy hedged. This gave me the impression neither of them had the slightest idea. Almost simultaneously, Max blurted out,

"You aren't very girl-clever, are you Gaz? Well, you are only nine, but still… Anyway, she meant herself was the big win. You won her."

"Oh." That didn't make sense, but whatever. Max was the girl, after all. Us men (aka me, Fang and possibly Iggy) wouldn't know as much as she did about girlkind.

"Are you gonna call her?" Iggy asked. I shrugged, not wanting to reveal too much of my already deep crush. Max clapped her hands briskly.

"Well, we still have about three hours to burn before we meet up with the rest of the Flock again. Iggy, take better care of Gaz. Fang, you're coming with me. We're going on some roller coasters!" Max took Fang's hand and pulled him off. Fang mouthed, "Help," at us, and Iggy and I snickered.

"Well, what do you want to do now, Ig?" I asked him as we watched Max pull Fang off in the direction of a roller coaster called _The Whipper._ Ooh, scary, especially after all we've endured in our lives.

"I dunno." Iggy thought for a moment, then brightened. "Hey, do you want to see who can make cotton candy explode first?"

"Yeah!" We slapped high fives, and I took Iggy's hand and put it on my shoulder, then set off to find a cotton candy booth.

**Phew that took awhile! Anyway, there's my update for today! I have soccer camp next week, and it's going to be totally awesome and hard core, so I'm probably going to be exhausted, so I don't know if I'll have time or energy to update, but you never know! So I guess that's it for today! Byezas!**

**Angel: Hey, we didn't get to type anything today!**

**Gazzy: That's not fair!**

**Total: I want bacon!**

**Uhh, you guys all just typed, so there! **

**Angel: … Stupid logic.**

**Gazzy: It's really aggravating at times.**

**Total: You got that right.**

**And you just typed again! So bye guys! Please review! I love reading your comments!**

**~TMI~**


	4. Nudge's Dream Comes True

**Hizas! OK, so this chapter might be the last for a little bit cause in the middle of this story, in the notebook I'm writing this in, I suddenly and quite randomly started another fic. Weird, I know. But I'm just weird that way. Anyway here is my pitifully short chapter. And while you're waiting for me to continue this story, you can read the other story I wrote in the middle of this one, that I'm going to start after this chapter! Enjoy!**

**Nudge's POV**

Mmm, I could just taste it! I bounced on the balls of my feet in anticipation of my first funnel cake. The line had been really super long like the time in Paris when we begged Max to let us go up on the Eiffel Tower and all the tourists were mad cause there were three kids and Ari in line- so anyway the line was way way long, but I was really determined to eat the puffy, tantalizing pastry… I couldn't wait!

Finally, I got to the front of the line. I almost squealed in the cash register's lady's face. This was sooo exciting!

"Can I please have one funnel cake please?" I asked, careful to make sure I was being polite. Max told us to always be polite to strangers until we were the slightest bit suspicious that they were evil. Then, we were supposed to smash their face in, make a sarcastic comment, and fly away laughing. I giggled at the thought, and almost didn't realize that the lady had handed me a plate with a- FUNNEL CAKE!

"Thank you thank you thank you sooo much!" I gushed, grasping the plate firmly in both hands. No way was I dropping this. The lady shrugged uninterestedly and called,

"Next Customer!"

I walked off to sit on a green plastic bench nearby, and placed the paper plate reverently on my knees. "Okay Angel, now I know it will be totally hard to, but we have to share this beautiful, mouthwatering delicacy, but I will let you take the first bi-" I broke off, noticing for the first time that my seven-year-old charge was M.I.A. "Ange? Are you there?" I craned my neck around, searching for a flash of gold hair or the neon pink hoodie she'd been wearing. Nothing. OMG I lost Angel! Max was not going to be happy. I stared around nervously, wondering where she could have gone off to. But even during this crisis (me losing Angel and Max's imminent wrath), my eyes kept flitting to the untouched funnel cake, sitting lonely in a puddle of syrup and powdered sugar on top of the flimsy paper plate. What do I do first? Enjoy my first and no doubt delicious funnel cake, or go save my young fellow Flock member?

It was a hard decision, ya know?

Angel could probably take care of herself.

She probably slipped away from me on purpose.

The funnel cake was just _begging_ to be eaten.

I bit my lip. Decision making was_ hard!_ How could Max survive with her sanity intact making constant decisions that affected the lives of seven mutants?

Sigh. She was a natural leader, that's how. And I'm a natural follower. Well, there was no more putting it off. Time for the moment of truth.

I thought for a moment, and made my decision. "That adventure can wait for awhile," I said firmly, out loud.

And sank my teeth into heaven.

**I am sorry it was so short! That's all I wrote before I started writing the other story! Which, by the way, will be posted soon. It's called Money Wars: ATM vs Flock. I hope you get to read it! Ta ta for now peeps!**

**~TMI~**


	5. Fang Discovers his One and Only Fear

**Hey guys, thanks for being so patient while I battled my writers block! It's been way too long since I last updated…**

**Nudge: You got that right missy.**

**Did you just call me missy?  
Nudge: Yep! –skips away happily-**

**If you haven't read my profile, you can for an explanation of why Nudge is here. =D Anyway, on with the story!**

**Max's POV**

I gripped Fang's hand tightly, weaving through the crowds of this stupid County Fair. "Which monster do you wanna go on, Fang?" I shouted over the din of the people around us. There were too many people surrounding us for my paranoid, bird kid taste. For the umpteenth time, a stranger shoving through the crowds jostled against me. I simultaneously flinched at the pain of them almost dislocating my wings, and checked to make sure I still had my tickets and wallet. The first pickpocket who attempts to swipe Maximum Ride's valuables gets a hand full of broken fingers.

Fang slid easily through the crowd, a patch of black oil in a full bowl of bright, multicolored water. I envied how nobody bumped into him. I guessed that it was the combination of me trailblazing our path ahead of him, and his dark, I'm-so-silent-and-emo aura. For some reason, every time a nice stranger dude would smile at me, they glanced behind me, and spotted Fang. Then, they would freeze for a second, and run away. Every time I turned to see what Fang was doing to scare them so much, he'd flash me one of his to-die-for grins and tug me along.

Suddenly, I snapped out of my remembrances of our little journey to a roller coaster, and realized that Fang hadn't answered my question. The stubborn, silent bird boy. "Fang, what roller coaster-"

"Max?" he broke in. I shut up, interested to hear what Mr. Silent had to say. "I need to tell you something." I waited for him to continue, but Fang just opened and closed his mouth.

"Well?" I asked finally.

Fang seemed to snap out of his inability to speak. "I-" He was interrupted as I was slammed into by one of the crowd. I literally flew through the air, my fingers slipping out of Fang's. I landed three feet away, hitting the cement on my butt. Ow. Thank goodness I have genetically enhanced everything, or my tailbone would have shattered for sure. Whoever pushed me was uber strong.

"F-Nick!" I gasped before I hit the ground. It was very solid. "Ouch," I whispered. Everyone kept bustling about around me, not seeming to notice I was just shoved three feet to the left. Some people are so rude. In a flash, Fang was next to me, pulling me up off the ground, his hands under my arms. I thanked the lord that I had indeed remembered to apply Ella's anti-perspirant deodorant junk this morning. I tilted my head up to smile at Fang, but he was busy glaring his signature Icy Death Stare of Doom Inflicted By An Angry Bird Kid at the person who'd knocked me over. I turned to glare at them too, but when I saw his face, I reeled back against Fang's chest in shock. It was Omega. Why the heck was he at a County Fair?

"Fnick?" Fang muttered to me out of the corner of his mouth. My lips quirked up of their own accord.

"Old habits are hard to break," I murmured back. During our little exchange, Omega was striding over to us.

"Maximum." It was a simple thing to say, not even a real sentence. And here I thought Omega was supposed to be soooo smart. "Maximum Ride." And there he goes again. Congratulations, Boy Genius. I waited for him to spout more incomplete sentences at me, but apparently that was all Wonder Boy had to say to me, because he turned around and walked away. I stared after him.

"Wait, what? Did I miss something? A shove, and a recitation of my name? That's low, Omega, real low!" I called after him. Wonder Boy didn't falter, simply forging his way through the crowd until we couldn't see him anymore. I looked back at Fang, who was staring at me oddly. "What?" I demanded. He shrugged, and I noticed for the first time that he still had his hands on my shoulders. Fang seemed to notice at the same time, because he quickly pulled them away.

"I believe you wanted to go on some roller coasters?" He called behind to me as he walked off into the crowd. I stared after him for a second, then jogged over to keep up with him. Fang acted so strangely sometimes. When I finally caught up with the peculiar bird boy, he was waiting in the shade of a stunted little tree for me. "So, what ride do you wanna tackle first?" he asked. I looked around, slowly spinning 360 degrees, simultaneously checking out the rides and searching for Erasers. There weren't any Erasers, surprisingly. Maybe they don't like County Fairs either. If so, I would totally sympathize with them. However, something else caught my eye. Something that looked terrifying and dangerous judging by the screaming people zooming around on it. I pointed at it excitedly.

"I wanna go on that one!"

&#&#&#

Fang's POV

"I wanna go on that one!" Max announced, pointing at something behind me. I turned to look, and faced a huge, rickety-looking, wooden roller coaster. It looked faintly menacing, looming high over everybody's heads. It's black painted structure dark and starkly outlined against the bright blue summer sky. Of course Maximum Ride would have to choose the scariest ride here. I nodded once in confirmation, and we set off in direction of the entrance. Every boy over the age of thirteen that passed us had the same reaction when they saw Max. Glance at her face, and root there, staring openly at her beautiful features. Quite a few would then slide their gaze somewhere a bit lower. Those boys were treated to my Ultimate Icy Stare of Doom Inflicted By An Angry Bird Kid. That made them scoot. Max didn't seem to notice them, tugging me along towards the roller coaster. I was highly aware of her callused hand in mine, our fingers intertwined, the sweat collecting on my palm. I wanted to wipe it away, but I didn't want to take my hand out of Max's. As we got closer to the roller coaster, I spotted the sign. In big, bolded capital letters, it read, _**THE MAGNIFICO! **_We shuffled into line, me stepping in front of Max this time. I released her hand and discreetly wipe my sweaty palm on the inside of my jacket pocket. The girl behind Max struck up a conversation with her, and me being the unscrupulous bird kid that I am, I eavesdropped on them, staring straight ahead.

"Wooden roller coasters are always the best," The girl informed Max.

"Why?" Max asked simply.

"They make a ton of noise, and it makes everything so much scarier. It's awesome!" the girl squealed, jumping up and down so hard that I felt the vibrations on the ramp every time she touched down. I gingerly raised a hand to my ears. This girl had a squeal rivaling Nudge's.

"Oh, that's cool. I've never been on a real roller coaster before," Max told her. The girl gasped.

"Really? Oh, it's so cool! You're so going to love the Magnifico! It feels like you're flying!" Even I had to hold back a laugh when I heard her say that. Max and I would be the ones to judge if it felt like flying or not.

Finally, we made it to the front of the line. The attendant taking the tickets had red hair and bright gray eyes. Her shorts were practically invisible, and she wore the carnival staff t-shirt. I could practically sense the shallow personality hidden under her freckled face.

"Hello!" she bubbled at me, smiling in what she probably thought was a coy way. With that one word, I immediately disliked her. I have no idea why. She edged closer, and I stiffened, frozen into place. She reminded me of, ugh, Lissa. Swiftly, Max came to my rescue. She quickly abandoned her conversation with the girl behind us and walked in front of me, shoving our tickets at the attendant. The redhead glared at Max, but Max's returning glare was far icier and deadlier. The attendant had obviously not been trained to deal with angry Maximum Rides, because she immediately cowered back behind her little stand, and Max pushed roughly through the turnstile. I meekly followed behind her. A young guy in full Carnival staff uniform stood on the other side. His preppy little nametag read, "SAM." I smiled ironically, because this guy was acting just like the Sam-wiener back at Anne's house. He grinned cockily at Max, who gave no reaction, but stepped into the first cart on the track. I glared at Sam 2, and followed Max, sitting down next to her. Since we're both abnormally tall mutants, we were kind of squished together. Secretly, I didn't really mind that Max's leg was pressed against mine. Slowly, all the other people filed in and sat in the carts behind us. Max turned her head and grinned at me, causing the instant effect of my palms breaking out in sweat. I flashed her the smile that Angel told me Max loves, and smoothly wiped my hands off on my jeans. I pulled the safety bar thingy over us, and soon Sam 2 came around to check that they were on correctly. When he came to us, he looked at me and said in a syrupy voice, "Would you like to go in another car, sir? You seem rather squished in this one." I scowled inwardly, outwardly just raising my eyebrows at Sam 2. Once again, Max came to my rescue.

"Oh no-" Max broke off for a second to look at his nametag. "-_Sam_, my boyfriend is fine right next to me." Her words were just as syrupy as Sam 2's, but held a hint of warning in them. My heart leapt in my genetically enhanced chest at the word, "boyfriend." Sam 2 huffed unprofessionally, and moved on to the next car.

"Boyfriend?" I murmured in her ear. Interestingly enough, I noted that goose bumps spread on Max's arms when I spoke.

"Works every time," she replied, and I grinned. Suddenly, the car lurched forward, and Sam 2's voice crackled from an overhead speaker.

"Please keep all limbs inside the car at all times…" Blah blah blah… "…and enjoy your ride on the Magnifico!" The car trundled up the track, rising higher and higher until we came to the tippety top of the track. I looked forward, and saw that the drop in front of us went almost straight down. People were tiny ants on the fair grounds far below. Farther away, I saw a pink mushroom cloud erupt from a food stand.

"Iggy and Gazzy," Max and I muttered in unison. We smiled at each other briefly, and I looked at the drop in front of us again. Suddenly, it occurred to me that if the roller coaster broke down, our wings were folded tightly on our backs, restricted by our jackets and pressed against the seat by the safety bar.

"Max-" I started, but I was cut off when we suddenly shot forward and down.

To describe my first roller coaster ride, I'll use two words that I've never uttered before.

Terrifying, and embarrassing.

**Poor Fangles! Anyway, Happy Labor Day peeps! I'll try to write more asap, and not keep you waiting for another month. Review please! I love reading your opinions on the chapter!**

**~TMI~**


	6. Dippin Dots

**Hizas! Kay, I'm sorry I haven't updated in forever. It's been really busy with soccer and school and music and stuff, so I've only gotten a chance to update a few stories, and this one just didn't give me inspiration. However, I think I feel an idea gnawing at me (finally)!**

**Angel: Don't pay attention to her. She stayed up until three in the morning playing the truth or dare app with her friends. Ugh…**

**Gazzy: ADULT truth or dare. **

**Yeah, that was fun, especially since I just turned thirteen on Sunday (you now know how old I am. Whoop-dee-doo) and they're both twelve. XD We're naughty girls.**

**Gazzy: Creeper…**

**OKAY! So if my writing is crappy, it's 'cause I'm tired, kay? Thanks!**

**Fang's POV**

"Really Fang?" Max snickered as we raced around the awful swooping bends of the monster known as the Magnifico. "Are you honestly that scared?" Suddenly, we fell almost straight down, and I was too busy screaming to answer Max. The wind whooshed past my hair, and gravity pulled at my skin. Max threw her arms up in the air, laughing like a maniac as she enjoyed the free fall. Crazy girl. Too bad I loved her.

I had come to terms with myself a long time ago about how much I loved Max. It was kind of creepy to think about, since we had acted like siblings ever since I could remember. The only thing I could think about was how freaked out Max would be if I told her about my real feelings. I almost had, just a few minutes ago. I had been _this close _to admitting that I liked Max more than a sister, when stupid Omega had to crash into her and ruin everything. My self-confidence was at negative four right now, and I had no idea when it would build up enough to try to tell Max about my feelings again. Ugh… Stupid hormones.

Abruptly, our free fall came to an end. Now, instead of plummeting downwards at the speed of light, we were plummeting _upwards _at the speed of light.

Is it even possible to plummet upwards? I don't know…

We whirled in the air, so quickly that everything began to blur. I felt the roller coaster pull us into a bending twirl, and Max laughed again, her arms still swaying in the air. If she got killed because her hands weren't on the stupid safety bar that was pinning our wings to our backs, I would bring her back to life and kill her again for her stupidity. The cars suddenly lurched forward at an even faster pace, and we spun around the tracks as they snaked around in a terrifying pattern. My heart almost stopped when we loop-de-looped. It's impossible to fly upside-down and stay airborne for longer than a second or two, so this was a new experience.

I didn't like this new experience. AT ALL.

_Please God. I've been a mostly-good bird kid. I only stole when I had to. Please let Max and I live, and please don't let her tease me too much._

Apparently he was listening, because a minute later we were slowing to a stop at the exit, safe and sound. I sighed happily, running a hand through my messed-up hair. As soon as the safety bar lifted, Max hopped out and adjusted her jeans. "Well, that was fun," she told me, grinning at the uncharacteristic expression on my face. "Wasn't it fun Fangles? Or were you too busy screaming to notice?"I tried to calm myself down, to retreat into my nice, safe, emotionless shell. If I was in there I wouldn't be fazed by Max's teasing. Probably.

"That wasn't fun in the least. All I could think about was the fact that my feathered friends were trapped," I replied, slightly disgruntled. Max's eyes flashed with understanding at my uber-discreet wording (feathered friends = wings! Hahaha… ah), and she nodded. Good. Now she knew the source of my fear, and wouldn't think I was a total pansy. I stood up, stretching for a moment before stepping out of the car. Max fell into step with me as we walked down the ramp leading back to the rest of the park. Her head bobbed only a couple of inches below my line of sight, and it was kind of distracting. Max had really pretty hair, after all…

"Do you think we should go find out what Iggy and Gazzy did?" Max asked suddenly, snapping me out of my reverie about her hair. I wondered what she meant for a moment, stopping to think. "Remember? When we were at the top of the roller coaster, and we saw that pink mushroom cloud?"

Recognition dawned on me. "Oh yeah." I recalled feeling happy, then seeing the mushroom cloud, feeling not-so-happy, then falling practically at a ninety degree angle, and feeling even less happy. Shudder.

"Fang? Faaang?" Max waved her hand in front of my face, and I was jerked out of my thoughts again. "So should we go interrogate our little friends on their methods of having fun at a fair?" she asked again. I was about to say yes when something stopped me. I felt suddenly compelled to just keep Max to myself for a little while.

Hey, that's a good idea! I'll keep Max to myself for awhile!

Whoa. Déjà vu. I wondered why I had thought that twice. It was almost like my thoughts had thought of the thought first, then I heard my thoughts thinking the thought and took that thought to make it my own thought. Thought.

Whatever. At least I had thought the thought my thoughts had thought. And it was a good thought! "No," I told Max finally. "They can deal with whatever trouble they made. It's good for character-building," I offered. She raised an eyebrow at me, and I suppressed the urge to hug her.

"Character-building? Fang, are you feeling okay?" Max put her hand on my forehead, smiling teasingly at me. "Hmm, no fever. Do you have a headache? Are you feeling dizzy? Do you need to barf?" she asked, rapid-fire. I suddenly had another idea, and stumbled suddenly.

"I do feel dizzy," I groaned, collapsing on an empty bench. Weakly, I fanned my face with both hands. "And headache-y. And sick in general." Max sat down on the bench next to me, looking slightly worried.

"Fang?" she asked. I mentally smirked, but on the outside I kept groaning.

"Oh, the pain! The agony! It can only be cured by…" I trailed off mysteriously. Max raised her eyebrows at me again, but I sat and waited for her to ask. She sighed dramatically.

"What's the cure, Fangles?" Max asked, pretending to clean her fingernails. I huffed indignantly, and she looked up again. "You're showing too much emotion now," she reminded me with a snicker. I glared at her silently. "That's better!" Max ruffled my hair, and I glared at her again.

"I can only be cured by… ice cream!" I announced. Max perked up immediately, and jumped off the bench. She pulled me up next to her, and grabbed my hand before tugging me away from the bench. "Where are we going?" I asked her, smiling slightly as we ran through the crowds. I was highly aware of her hand in mine for at least the third time today. Max looked back for a second, her hair clouding around her face, and grinned at me. I immediately fell in love again. Wow. I'm such a fail.

"We're going to get ice cream! Jeez Fang, you don't want to be sick forever, do you?" she asked innocently. I smiled a little brighter at her, and she quickly faced forwards again. Unfortunately for her, she wasn't quick enough, and I saw a hint of a blush form on her cheeks before she turned away. Score one for Fang!

Soon, Max slowed down to a walk. I caught up to her and stood at her side as we walked around the food area. There were tons of food booths, selling burgers, fries, hot dogs, funnel cakes, sodas, and pizza, and at least ten that sold ice cream. "Now the question is what booth to go to?" I murmured to Max. She grinned at me, and I squeezed her hand, still entwined with mine. This was heaven, with the smell of delicious, unhealthy food wafting through the air, hundreds of people forming crowds to blend into, and Max's hand in mine.

"Cone, cup or dippin dots?" she asked seriously. I looked down into her eyes and nodded solemnly.

"Dippin dots," we agreed simultaneously. Quickly, we scoped out the area and found a booth devoted solely to dippin dots. Max practically dragged me over to it, and I smiled as she dug out her wallet and bounced up and down like an excited little kid.

"I love dippin dots!" she announced. I grinned at her, nodding in agreement. "What flavors are you getting?" Max asked me. I thought for a moment about my choice. Dippin dot flavors were a very serious thing for the flock.

"Chocolate and strawberry-banana," I decided finally. Max nodded.

"Sounds good. Excuse me, can we get two large cups, half chocolate and half strawberry-banana?" Max asked the dippin dots worker sweetly. I almost snickered at her attitude, but managed to keep my laughter in. Wordlessly, the guy scooped the beads of ice cream into two paper bowls. Max handed over the money, and the worker nodded from his position in the shadowed booth. "Thank you!" she called back as we walked back into the crowd. I grabbed my bowl of dippin dots from Max, picking up the spoon and immediately shoveling a spoonful of ice cream into my mouth. Mmm… I love dippin dots.

"C'mon, let's go sit down." I pulled Max over to a bench, and we sat down. It was now around three thirty, and hot as heck. Luckily, the bench I had chosen was set back towards the wooded part of the park, and was much cooler than the rest of the place. The whole county fair was set up so that the fairgrounds were in a loop surrounding a patch of forest, and we were now sitting almost inside the foresty part. Max and I ate our dippin dots in a comfortable silence, broken only by the sound of us slurping up the tiny pearls of ice cream. "Max?" I asked suddenly. I had no idea why I was doing this. This was a bad idea! Stop Fang! Stop now! Maybe she didn't hear me?

"Yeah Fang?" Max asked me absentmindedly. She heard me. Luckily, Max was focusing on licking every last drop out of her bowl, and wasn't paying much attention to what I was saying. Maybe she wouldn't realize that I hadn't said anything after all? Max crushed her bowl with one hand, wiping the other across her mouth, then turned to face me on the bench. "Fang?" she asked again, looking at me.

She realized. Dang it.

"Umm, I just wanted to say, umm…" I trailed off, wondering how I could get out of saying what I was about to say. Please, an invasion of M-geeks would be nice right now!

"Yes?" Max prompted quietly, a smile riding her lips.

"I just wanted to say…" Aww, to heck with words. They never work for me anyway. Instead, I closed my eyes and leaned forward, praying that Max wouldn't move out of the way.

She didn't, and our lips connected. My mind went blank, and all I could think about was how Max tasted like dippin dots. Her mouth dropped slightly in surprise, and I took that as an opportunity to deepen the kiss. Thankfully, Max responded positively. She lifted her hands, entangling them in my hair and pulling me closer to her. _Yes!_ That one thought ran through my mind, weaving through the other thought about dippin dots. Max turned her head to the left, and mine automatically tilted right. I tugged my hands out of their useless state, ordering them to do something useful. They obeyed me, gently wrapping around Max's waist. She smiled slightly, gripping my hair harder as my thumbs rubbed on her hips.

Dippin dots + kissing Max = Happy Fang. That is my favorite equation.

Finally, we had to break apart, and I let go of Max's waist, raising my eyebrows at her as she managed to pull her fingers out of the tangles in my hair. She grinned at me in reply, and I sighed happily. "That was fun." Max broke the silence, her voice cracking slightly. I smiled, then looked up at the sky urgently.

"Look Max, a shooting star!" I pointed with my left arm, letting it trace the "shooting star's" path through the sky until it landed on Max's shoulders. She looked at me quizzically.

"It's three fifty in the afternoon, Fang. Why the heck would there be a shooting sta- oh." Max broke off as she realized that my arm was draped over her shoulder. I smiled innocently at her. "I see," she managed to say.

"What? Didn't you see the star?" I asked her. "It told me to hug you," I added, pulling her closer to me. She grinned, and looked back up at the sky.

"Thank you, star," she called out softly. I laughed quietly, and Max laid her head on my shoulder, sending a shiver through me. This was what I had wanted. _Thank you star_.

&$(#*($

**No one's POV**

Angel smiled happily from her position, standing next to a game booth. She was happy that Fang had taken her "suggestion" to keep Max to himself for awhile, and let Gazzy and Iggy deal with their own explosions. All that he needed was a push in the right direction. After all, Max was already head over heels for him; all he had to do was kiss her, and boom! She was in his arms.

Angel loved her older siblings, but secretly she thought that they acted silly sometimes. Why didn't Max just tell Fang that she loved him, and why couldn't Fang do the same? That was practically all Fang thought about, and Angel was sure that Max had some secret thoughts of her own. She hadn't done anything wrong with her powers. Giving Fang a suggestion wasn't a bad thing, was it?

"Miss, do you want to play Goldfish Jump?" the man inside the booth asked her, smiling winningly. She smiled back, putting a few tickets down on the counter.

"Okay! I would love to get a goldfish," she confided in him. He nodded understandingly.

"Of course you do! Everybody loves goldfish! Now you can just play, and let's see if you win!" Angel grinned happily. She was sure that she could easily win the game. Oh, wouldn't Total be surprised when she got home with a goldfish!

Further away, a man in a dippin dots booth frowned angrily at the screen of his cell phone. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. A hidden camera was taping a scene not too far away. Two teenagers were sitting on a bench, the boy's arm draped protectively over the girl's shoulders. They seemed happy, content.

They weren't supposed to be happy, not without Dylan! Maximum was supposed to love Dylan, not the failed experiment! The man crushed the cell phone with one angry squeeze, tossing it onto the ground in disgust. Plastering an empty smile on his face, he went to the front of the booth and placed a sign that read, 'Sold Out', on the counter. His potential customers sighed sadly."Awww…" they chorused as the line dissolved. The people spread out to find other sources of dippin dots, and the man disappeared back into his booth.

"Dylan!" he called commandingly. His accent was thick, and sounded distinctly German. The tall blonde boy that had been created to be another's soul mate walked into the room, shoulders drooped.

"Yeah?" Dylan asked, his voice sounding heavily depressed. The German man frowned.

"What happened? Tell me what you saw!" he ordered. Dylan just glanced at him before flopping down on a chair.

"I just saw Max practically glued to Fang's side. They looked so happy. Why can't I be like Fang? She obviously likes him better!" Dylan's voice rose as he vented his anger, confusion, and sadness. The German opened his mouth to say something, then stopped, his dull brown eyes glittering evilly.

"That is a good idea Dylan," he told the boy. Dylan sat up, looking surprised.

"What's a good idea?" he asked, completely unaware of the ideas he had unlocked in the man's evil mind.

"We have to make you like _Fang_." The man practically hissed as he said the name. "That should be easy enough. We can do it quickly, maybe even in an hour."

"An hour?" Dylan jumped off of his chair. "You mean, Max can be mine in just an hour?" His turquoise eyes danced with excitement. "But what about the real Fang?"

"He can be disposed of. That experiment was a failure anyway," The German dismissed Dylan's question easily. "But now, we have work to do!" The man took Dylan by the arm and raced out of the booth. Once in the parking lot, he pulled a new phone out of his pocket and barked a few, harsh-sounding German words into it. Thirty seconds later, a nondescript black sedan drove in, picked up the man and boy, and drove away. Dylan stared out the back window at the disappearing fair, the image of Max and Fang stuck in his mind. They had been sitting on a bench, Fang's arm wrapped around Max's shoulders, and her head resting tiredly on his. Fang had looked at Max with such complete adoration that it made Dylan's heart hurt. Who was he to break them apart?

He caught his reflection's eyes in the window, and stared at his face. He had the right to break them up. Fang wasn't allowed to have Max love him; it should be Dylan that Max loved! Dylan glared at his reflection. He would _make _Max love him, whether Fang like it or not.

His opinion didn't matter anyway. Soon, he might be dead.

**Whoa! That got so dark at the end! I'm soooo evil! I just had to put in an actual plotline there. AND OF COURSE THERE HAD TO BE FAX! I was waiting for it too! XD **

**Review please? **_**It takes only a few seconds, but it makes me happy for days.**_

**~TMI~**


	7. AN

Hey Peoples, I'm so sorry I've been MIA.

REPENT.

It's not entirely my fault. You see, soon after New Years-

Nudge: And that New Years Resolution you made that raised everyone's hopes about you updating quicker-

I said I was sorry! Anyway, my computer totally and utterly DIED. And I had half of the next iPod Screen chappie typed up, all of the next chapter for two other stories, the ideas for School Days and Erasing Lissa, and the beginnings of the next chapter for ATM Wars and Race for the Cure. So yeah, I need to figure out how to raise my laptop from the dead. Then, I will update EVERYTHING in a major spree! But just saying, I procrastinated on writing this A/N 'cause I hate writing them, and there are some stories where this will be the second A/N, which I HATE. I'm so sorry you guys. Please forgive me.

Angel: She's banging her head against the wall.

Gazzy: Poor TMI…. –eats cookies-

HEY! That was MY cookie! –tackles Gazzy-

…

This is Nudge writing. TMI is wrestling with Gazzy over the last cookie now. So yeah, this note was typed on TMI's mother's computer, but the lady won't let her write whole chapters 'cause it takes too long and TMI's little brother-

Angel: She calls him Shortso. XP

-needs to type up his project. So yeah! Byezas!

Angel? Will you do the honors?

Angel: SURE! So sorry about the inconvenience people, TMI is beating herself up about disappointing you guys…. Now to write her signature thingymacdoodle!

~TMI~


	8. The Transformation into Fang

**This will be in third person, cause it doesn't work. FPOV later! =D**

Dylan looked apprehensively at the steel operating table. His wingtips were bristling in alarm, and he couldn't help but shudder when he spotted the tray of sharp, pointy operating tools nearby. "Ello, Dylan," a voice said pleasantly. Dylan jumped, whirling around to face the speaker. It was a middle-aged man with graying hair and twinkling green eyes. He wore a long white lab coat over his clothes, and there were surgical gloves on his hands. "What am I doing for you today?"

"I want to look like this boy," Dylan replied sullenly, handing the doctor a picture of Fang. His long black hair was swept over his face, and his black eyes stared emotionlessly at the camera. His head was cocked to the side, and one dark eyebrow was raised in lazy question. The doctor studied the picture, smiling knowingly.

"Is he a celebrity? I swear I've seen him before." The doctor looked back up at Dylan, winking slyly at him. "Let me guess. He's a chick magnet? You want all the girls?" he guessed. Dylan's eyes narrowed.

"One of them," he finally replied. The doctor's smile grew, and he patted the operating table.

"Just sit right here. We'll have you ready in a moment." The doctor bustled around, moving instruments and gathering several tubes of fluid. Dylan lay down on the table, shifting his wings under his back in an attempt to be comfortable. It didn't work. Having wings meant it was barely tolerable to lie down on his back. It was just too painful. "Let's knock you out," the doctor murmured, lowering a mask onto Dylan's face. Dylan just calmly breathed in the choking gas, inhaling until he was fast asleep. With a wicked smile, the doctor removed the gas mask. Instead of using any of his tools, however, he raised a different object. "Good bye, Dylan. Hello, Fang II." The doctor couldn't suppress a low, evil laugh as he injected the needle straight into Dylan's neck. The bird kid twitched violently, his arms jerking and his muscles clenching. The solution raced through his veins, painfully recontouring the planes and angles of his body. Dylan's hair darkened, turning from blond to brown to black, and his skin became darker as well, shading to Fang's olive tone. Dylan jerked as his nose changed shape, and the strands of hair on his head and face became the exact replica of the ones on Fang. Most painfully, though, was the changing of his height. Fang was only an inch taller than Dylan, but it was enough to make the lengthening of his bones, tendons, and veins agonizing. Dylan jerked on the operating table, his changed face contorted in pain. Dylan's eyes flew open as he sat bolt upright, and they were no longer his own turquoise color.

His irises were steadily changing color, the blue draining into dark, dark brown. Dylan slumped back on the table, his dark eyes fluttering closed as his body stopped twitching. The transformation was complete. With a gleeful shout at his success, the doctor jumped up and grabbed the bundle of black clothing off the chair nearby. Swiftly, and with no hesitation, the doctor stripped Dylan down and completely reclothed him in the black garments Fang always wore. To all appearances, Dylan wasn't Dylan anymore.

Enter Fang II.

… … … … … … … … … … … … …

Dylan yawned, sitting up on the operating table and rubbing his eyes. He was momentarily surprised to see that he was now dressed in complete black apparel, but then he grinned in recollection. He was Fang now. Max would finally love him. Dylan took a moment to study his hands. The fingers were longer, thinner, and the pads of them were rough. His nails were short and jagged, and the palms of his hands were tough with calluses. These weren't his hands. They were Fang's hands. The hands of the boy Max loved. Dylan frowned for a moment at the thought, but quickly shook his head to banish it. This brought his attention to another difference. His hair was much longer now, swishing across his forehead and on the nape of his neck. He could just see the tips of it when he looked to the side, and was pleased to see that it was coal black. Fang's hair. Dylan swung his legs off the operating table, satisfied with his transformation into the other bird kid. He wobbled on his feet a little, disoriented with his change in height. However small the change was, it was still strange. Finally Dylan managed to get his bearings, and he strode off down the hallway.

He only had to go a few steps before finding what he wanted. A full-length mirror hung on the wall, and Dylan had to double-take his reflection. Dylan had thought that there would be a few minor differences on his appearance that Max would question, and he would have to invent explanations for.

But this was not the case. Dylan had to check to make sure Fang wasn't standing in front of him, mocking his attempts to take Max away. He stepped forward, and Fang did too. Dylan held out his hand, letting his fingertips brush the mirror's cool surface, and Fang's fingers touched his own. A wide smile broke across Dylan's face, and Fang's face glowed in an almost unreal way in the mirror. _If Fang smiled like that all the time, Max would have fallen for him long ago, _Dylan mused. Fang's smile was a knock-out, even Dylan had to admit that. Dylan would use that smile to get Max to love him even more than she loved the real Fang. It was lucky that Fang had gifted him with these special tools.

Dylan continued to smile all the way down the hallway, his heart feeling light for the first time since he witnessed Fang kissing Max on the bench. His heart had shattered as Max didn't hesitate in kissing him back. For the first time, he had lost hope, Maybe Max and Fang were just the perfect couple. Maybe Dylan was obsolete.

But no. Fang would be out of the picture soon, and Dylan would fill in his place so smoothly that no one would be able to realize it. This plan was the best that he had ever thought of.

"Dylan? Are you awake?" The man from the Dippin Dots booth strode down the hallway. He stopped when he saw the failed experiment standing there, studying his reflection. "_Fang,_" The man snarled, his expression twisting in hatred. 'Fang' quickly turned to him, shaking his head no. "Dylan?" the man asked, his face softening as he realized the impossibility of Fang being there. 'Fang' nodded. "Perfect," the man murmured, taking in Dylan's new form. "You look just like the failure. But Maximum loves him, and so she will love you," he promised, clapping Dylan on the shoulder. Dylan smiled his borrowed smile, the action lighting up Fang's dark eyes.

"She will love me," Dylan repeated, his eyes widening as he listened to Fang's voice come out of his mouth. His smile brightened even more. "She will love me."

Fang's POV

Max and I sat on that bench for who knows how long, comfortable in each other's arms. I couldn't believe this was actually happening; it was so perfect. Perfection doesn't happen in my life, and I had to keep pinching myself to check that I wasn't dreaming.

Then I realized that if this _was _a dream, I didn't want to wake up, so I stopped with the pinching. "Fang?" Max murmured. My heart leapt into my throat at the sound of her saying my name so tenderly. This _was _almost too perfect.

"Yeah Max?" I replied, enjoying the feel of her arms around me, her head resting on my shoulder.

"I have to tell you something," Max muttered quickly, her voice so low I could barely make out the words. A spark of hope flickered in my mind at the thought of what she might say.

"Yes?" I prompted gently. Max disentangled herself from my arms, looking straight into my eyes.

"I," she began, looking brave. I returned her gaze steadily, watching her pupils grow. "I have to go to the bathroom," she finished lamely. My heart sank.

"Oh." I struggled for a moment, than brought up my emotionless mask again, effectively hiding my disappointment. Max looked at me though, and from the expression in her eyes I could tell I hadn't fooled her. She knew me too well.

"Yeah. I'll be right back," Max whispered, standing up and walking down the path. I sat on the bench, watching her walk away. She had my heart in her hands. I hoped she knew that. I was so lost in thought that I didn't even hear the branches shifting behind me.

Big mistake.

Suddenly, there was something over my head, and someone who must have been immensely strong pulled me straight over the back of the bench and into the forested area. I kicked out blindly, trying to injure my captor, but to no avail. This guy was indestructible. I was carried through the whole forest like that, struggling wildly and trying to call out for help. The thing over my head muffled my voice though, and I couldn't get a word from my mouth.

How ironic. One of the few times I want to talk, and I can't.

I heard voices talking in low, hushed tones behind me, and strained my ears to listen. "We got the failure fine. Maximum had left to relieve herself."

"Really? That's a stroke of luck."

"Yes, it is. We needn't have worried about separating them."

"Has he gone in for the replacement yet?"

"Shush, you fool! The experiment is still awake!"

The first voice laughed coldly, and I could feel my muscles tense up at the sound. "The experiment? This _failure?_ It doesn't matter what he hears. He'll be out of our way soon."

"So has Dylan left yet, then?"

_Dylan? _I began to struggle even more fiercely. If Dylan was involved, and they were planning to dispose of me… This was not good.

"No, he's right here you idiot."

"Oh."

I heard someone else shift lazily, and there was silence. I wondered what my captors were doing, and tried even more to break free of my captor's grip. The guy was too strong, though, and I only flailed helplessly in his grasp. "Alright Dylan, move out. Good luck with the girl." _Good luck with the girl?_ They must mean Max. Max! She thought I was going to be waiting for her, and now she must have thought that I ditched her. I closed my eyes inside the head covering. It was just one complication after another. I could deal with being captured, but I didn't want Max to get mad at me right after I'd finally summed up the courage to show her my real feelings. This was just craptastic.

"Thank you sir," a new voice replied, breaking into my thoughts. I stopped flailing, because I recognized the last voice. The blood in my veins ran cold. _One of my captors had my voice. _The covering was slipped briefly from my head, and I caught a glimpse of a retreating figure amid the trees. It was… me.

This was a new low. I was getting kidnapped by myself.

Iggy would never let me live it down.

That is, if I lived.

**DUN DUN DUN… Poor Fangles. It's getting very dramatic, isn't it? XD I thought I would update this, since I haven't in a loooong time. Sorry! **

**REVIEW PLEASE! I love your feedback! What do you think will be Max's reaction to Dylan/Fang?**

**~TMI~**


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